• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

'Basketball Wives' Gloria Govan on Her Relationship

So far, Oakland native Gloria Govan and her fiancee, Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes, have come off as the most "normal" couple on "Basketball Wives." On the show, Govan seems to maintain her distance from the women, even declaring that she has what they don't have: a loving, committed relationship. Their reply? She's just naive. The mom of 18-month-old twin boys, Isaiah and Carter, recently spoke with ESSENCE.com about her upcoming summer wedding and why the haters make her want to fight for her man and her young family even more...   Here's what you had to say: Ms. G commented: "I am so glad to see her dispelling negativity and not allowing the bitterness of other women affect her view of her relationship."
By Yolanda Sangweni · Updated October 29, 2020
gloria-govan-matt-barnes.jpg
So far, Oakland native Gloria Govan and her fiancee, Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes, have come off as the most “normal” couple on “Basketball Wives.” On the show, Govan seems to maintain her distance from the women, even declaring that she has what they don’t have: a loving, committed relationship. Their reply? She’s just naive. The mom of 18-month-old twin boys, Isaiah and Carter, recently spoke with ESSENCE.com about her upcoming summer wedding and why the haters make her want to fight for her man and her young family even more. ESSENCE.com: What made you agree to be on “Basketball Wives“? GLORIA GOVAN: I wanted to encourage young girls, or women in general, that you can be in a healthy, respectful relationship with an athlete without it having to be about the drama and the infidelities. I also wanted to be a role model to show that it’s not about shopping and days at the spa and that you can be involved with charities and helping others. ESSENCE.com: You, Royce and Jennifer are college grads, which goes against some misconceptions against basketball wives. GOVAN: That’s another thing I wanted to show about women who are married to athletes. It’s unfortunate that the misconception is that we’re straight out of high school or are dropouts. ESSENCE.com: Matt recently told a radio station that he was “disgusted” by the show. GOVAN: He was surprised at how willing the women were to give information about other people and their own experiences. I’m not really sure that he’s a fan of certain people on the show, but he’s entitled to his opinions and the show is not focused on Matt. ESSENCE.com: What do you think of people who say you’re naive? GOVAN: Matt and I have made our share of mistakes and, like any relationship, we have our ups and downs, but unlike a lot of the women on the show, we’ve fought through them. We’ve become a minority in the basketball world because we are happy. It’s unfortunate that your happiness has to be questioned, but I think it’s something that we’re both ready to defend because we know what the truth is. It encourages me to make sure this family works and to fight for Matt and our relationship. ESSENCE.com: If the show is renewed, will you do it again? GOVAN: No. I think if the show took a different turn and focused on the entrepreneurs, educated and business-savvy women, then I would do it because that’s what I want to represent. ESSENCE.com: Were you afraid of being in the public eye? GOVAN: I think when Matt and I agreed to be on the show I was just excited to show people that you don’t have to be an ignorant pole dancing girl to be with a good man. I didn’t realize they would be so interested in what goes on underneath my roof. It amazes me how many people, both on and off the show, are like, ‘Well he cheats on her and she doesn’t know anything.’ At some point, it does affect you and you do start looking at your partner with a raised eyebrow, so I do my best to stay off the Internet because you can get caught up. ESSENCE.com: So, when are you and Matt walking down the aisle? GOVAN: We’re getting married in August and are finalizing some details now. I didn’t realize how much work goes into planning a wedding and August is around the corner. We’re excited, though.
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now